Legislation that would have taxed advertising, explicitly including ad measurement and effectiveness research, has died in the Nebraska legislature.
L.B. 388, part of a larger tax overhaul effort from the governor, was pulled before a final floor vote on April 18, 2024, and has died. It derived from an earlier bill, L.B. 1354, which also died.
The Insights Association, the leading nonprofit trade association for the insights industry, opposed this legislation in concert with a larger coalition of groups.
The 7.5 percent tax on revenue from an "advertising service" would have included "the monitoring and evaluation of website traffic for purposes of determining the effectiveness of an advertising campaign."
“This legislation would have increased costs for ad measurement and research in Nebraska and disincentivized informed decision-making,” commented Howard Fienberg, Senior VP Advocacy for the Insights Association. “The tax could have fallen not only on larger insights firms conducting audience measurement, but also on audience measurement work conducted by smaller insights firms for large advertising companies, and on big advertising companies’ insights departments. The result would have been unnecessarily wasted resources and higher costs for businesses and consumers.”
About the Author
Based in Washington, DC, Howard is the Insights Association's lobbyist for the marketing research and data analytics industry, focusing primarily on consumer privacy and data security, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), tort reform, and the funding and integrity of the decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Howard has more than two decades of public policy experience. Before the Insights Association, he worked in Congress as senior legislative staffer for then-Representatives Christopher Cox (CA-48) and Cliff Stearns (FL-06). He also served more than four years with a science policy think tank, working to improve the understanding of scientific and social research and methodology among journalists and policymakers.
Howard is also co-director of The Census Project, a 900+ member coalition in support of a fair and accurate Census and ACS.
He has also served previously on the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics and and the Association of Government Relations Professionals.
Howard has an MA International Relations from the University of Essex in England and a BA Honors Political Studies from Trent University in Canada, and has obtained the Certified Association Executive (CAE), Professional Lobbying Certificate (PLC) and the Public Policy Certificate (PPC).
When not running advocacy for the Insights Association, Howard enjoys hockey, NFL football, sci-fi and horror movies, playing with his dog, and spending time with family and friends.